May 12, 2004
College of Forest Resources
Meeting with UW Provost and Staff
I. College’s Strategic Position:
To fulfill our responsibility to our professional natural resource clients, society at large, and the
UW academic community, the College mission is to:
Generate and disseminate knowledge for the stewardship of natural and
managed environments and the sustainable use of their products and
services.
Our vision is to:
Provide world class, internationally recognized knowledge and
leadership for environmental and natural resource issues.
The College investigates and studies:
Key principles and processes that explain the behavior and interaction
of biotic and social systems along gradients from highly to minimally
impacted terrestrial ecosystems.
We fill a major gap in the offerings of other UW units, which emphasize smaller scales of biotic
function (biology, health science) or broader scales of societal behavior (anthropology,
sociology, policy). We provide a knowledge base to answer critical questions about how
individual organisms and biotic systems respond to perturbations and stresses imposed by
human activities as well as effects of the environment on humans. This knowledge enables the
design of methods for the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biotic system, and is
critical for environmental decision-making. We provide a unique, essential bridge among
diverse elements of the UW community).
II. Strategic Themes:
 land and ecosystem management in an urbanizing world (conflicts and tradeoffs among
competing human and natural resource values in the growing and urbanizing global
population)
 sustainable forest enterprises (land and water resource production, use, and management,
with attention to the material and social impacts of sustainable practices)
We study the functionality and sustainability of complex natural-resource and
environmental systems, using an:
 interdisciplinary approach
 integrated across a range of
 scales covering the organism, landscape, watershed, and region within a
 world-class laboratory that covers our regional
 urban to wild land gradient
We have linkages that promote close collaboration with other UW units in achieving
our mandate (e.g., CoE, Evans School, CAUP, COFS, PoE, and Geography).
Creating Futures Since 1907
III. College goals:
 curricular innovation in both graduate and undergraduate programs
 attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty, staff and students
 building and upgrading facilities and laboratories, integrating technology advances where
appropriate
 broadening and increasing financial support through grant funding and donor support
 developing dynamic and creative leadership throughout the College
IV. The College’s teaching, research, and outreach programs are closely monitored to ensure
that they are efficient, relevant and of value to the UW and society.
Program Efficiency:
 This year we consolidated our seven undergraduate curricula into two programs: 1)
Environmental Science and Resource Management and 2) Paper Science and
Engineering. Upper division pathways are under development.
 The undergraduate program consolidation results in greater efficiency and flexibility for
students, reducing time to graduation and providing greater opportunities for elective
courses and enhanced accommodation for transfer students.
 Graduate programs were consolidated. Innovative new models for graduate education, such
as the interdisciplinary urban ecology program, will continue to emerge to complement
faculty research strengths. A Peace Corps Master’s International program was initiated.
 Two professional masters programs were designed to provide in-depth professional training
through a 4-1 model that build from the new integrated undergraduate curricula.
 Low enrollment courses were cancelled, consolidated with other courses or offered alternate
years. Honors program is under development.
 The efficiency resulting from program consolidations/low enrollment cancellations frees up
faculty time for new research and service teaching opportunities.
Program Relevance:
 The College produces graduates who fill leadership positions in natural resource and public
and private-land management organizations throughout the state and the region. We have
been Creating Futures Since 1907.
 The management of natural resources for a variety of environmental and natural resources
goods and services remains vital to the political, social and economic decisions made every
day by leaders and citizens and is a key element in the economy of Washington State and the
region.
 The College produces graduates who fill faculty and administrative positions at institutions
of higher learning across the nation.
 The College fosters external linkages to academic/research institutions and public agencies
that position the College solidly throughout the region and the natural resources arena.
 College faculty provide key research on a wide range of subjects of regional and global
importance.
 Research and outreach centers in the College (Center for International Trade in Forest
Products, Center for Urban Horticulture, Center for Water and Watershed Studies, Olympic
Natural Resources Center, Rural Technology Initiative, Precision Forestry Cooperative,
Stand Management Cooperative, and Wind River Canopy Crane) contribute valuable
scientific information, public education, and technology transfer within their respective
sectors.
Creating Futures Since 1907
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 The Northwest Environmental Forum will expand the domain of UW involvement as a
provider of science and technology research to transform processes for solving natural
resource and environmental issues. CFR and other Forum partners will act as a catalyst to
meld physical, biological, climate, earth and other sciences with advanced information
technology capabilities.
Program Value:
 The College is highly ranked among UW units in service course contribution, providing a
solid contribution to UW student knowledge of environmental and natural resource issues.
 The new undergraduate curriculum envisions upper level “magnet” courses that will attract
students from other UW academic units.
 The College will increase its research contribution to the UW by 25% over two years. The
New Initiatives Research Team is implementing a plan to identify and assist in large,
complex funding proposals and future directions for new faculty hires is under discussion.
 The College’s development team has achieved 45.6% of its $17.7 MM Campaign goal.
Current market value of 54 endowments is $15 MM. New Denman Professorship in
Sustainable Resource Sciences.
 The College has identified programs and processes to enhance its self-sustaining budgets.
 Linkages to other UW units provide increased opportunity for efficiencies and for integrative
learning.
Program Needs:
 The greatest need for the College is an infusion of new faculty and associated resources to
contribute to the research, teaching and service central to our vision.
 New faculty will be hired to support emerging research needs in areas of greatest promise.
The challenge is to ensure that these faculty also contribute to our professional programs.
 Faculty searches are underway for the Directors of CUH/WPA, Precision Forestry
Cooperative, and CINTRAFOR. All emphasize the strategic positioning of new faculty to
fulfill College and UW goals.
 Modernization of our classroom and laboratory infrastructure is required. In addition, a
major investment in new equipment is needed if we are to successfully grow our research
enterprise into areas of emerging importance in the environmental and natural resource arena
(e.g., geospatial sciences, plant biotechnology, fire science).
 New research space in a Sustainable Resource Sciences Building and/or modernization of
Paper Science and Engineering laboratories are needed.
 A new Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest provides a focus for research,
outreach and the demonstration of cutting edge sustainable forestry practices. Third party
green certification is underway. A new Lodge at Pack Forest will complement existing
lodging/conference facilities at a higher standard.
 Our program mission focuses on the interaction between nature and humans and requires a
synthesis of existing and yet unknown scientific information. UW recognition and support
of this focus is critical for the College to provide world class, internationally recognized
knowledge and leadership for environmental and natural resource issues.
Creating Futures Since 1907
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